walking bass

[David Kaczorowski]

I think adbass gives great advice. I would add practicing slow scales, arco. Start at 60bpm and instead of gradually increasing the tempo, slow it down. (This also is the best way to develop your tone.)

While I agree with Ed about the importance of hearing the note you're about to play, that's only 50% of the equation. You also have to hear the articulation. You won't play a legato note unless your mind is hearing a legato note. Ultimately you want to be able to vary your articulation within the arc of your line. Playing only legato, or one way or the other, can become like someone talking in a monotone, robot-like voice.

The best way to work at articulation is playing written music. Get Mike Richmond's book or anything with transcribed basslines and read.

[Marc Piane]

Originally Posted by adbass

This is also helpful in developing left hand finger strength. As you tire, your notes will become shorter. IMME, IMHE, etc etc etc.

This is the problem that I most often see in my students at the beginning stages of learning to walk. My suggestion here is to just take a break when you find yourself cheating note values. Legato become harder and keeping the tempo steady becomes harder as you tire. Don't break long enough that your muscles cool down but just so that you body can flush the lactic acid out of your muscles. A glass of water helps too.

Also, to add to David's point, listen to lots walking bass. Notice how the bass players articulate in the records to listen to. Find something you like and try to match it. It is really hard to articulate walking bass if you are not clear in your head what sound you want.

[anonymous02282011]

Originally Posted by fingers

My suggestion here is to just take a break when you find yourself cheating note values. Legato become harder and keeping the tempo steady becomes harder as you tire. Don't break long enough that your muscles cool down but just so that you body can flush the lactic acid out of your muscles. A glass of water helps too.

Taking breaks is good. That's good advice.

[caillean]

Plus - think about where you are putting your thumbs!!

OK - sounds daft - I know - but, if you run your whole hand smooth, it takes away some of the jerkiness.

It's kind of like learning a language though - when you start, you learn to think - what is that word in English - then, what is it in the other language - you don't "flow" - when you practice, it becomes second nature, so, you stop doing word translations, and, one day, you discover you dream in that language - so, it is the same with the bass - you will soon go from thinking words, to flowing conversations.

[DSbrega]

try doing an excersize that my teacher told me to do. he also used to study with ray brown who did the same excercize. he swings like hell by the way so i strongly recommend it. put your hand in half position, and then play say... D, Eb, E, F. and back down, then up again, then down again and repeat. do it on all strings. so the A string would be A, Bb, B, C. yeah you get it. Try to have no space inbetween notes and that will solve your problem. After you've done that a gazillion times do a chromatic scale starting on the open strings and ending on the harmonic. that will solve your shifting problems.
Let me know
-------------------Dom

[jayarroz]

Use anchors!!!! Put your index finger on F then hit everything else around it that you can then. Clamp that hand down as long as you can in any position, then if you come off a note with your pinky you still have the sustain of whats behind it. Never slide up without something behind it.

[basbende]

I think practicing your technique in the right way will help a lot. Try the 2 books of Hein van de Geyn "comprhensive bass method". Very very good exercises. (the setup of the book seems a biet messy, but if you work carefully it'll help a lot

[bonaventura]

enjoying this thread, glad Mr. Fuqua also joined in.

at my lesson today, I learned that I tend to jump ahead (thinking it sounds cool, I push the quarter note forward quite often, which I guess is unsettling for the soloists I am accompanying).

my teacher showed me seemingly simple arpeggio and scalar exercises. playing a WHOLE TUNE in just triad arpeggios (just I, III, V notes), then a WHOLE TUNE in scalar lines only. (of course we mix these when actually playing). this exercise will force me to play triads and scalar lines in ways I wouldn't if I just play my favorite licks. she says it will open my ears to hearing new ways to resolve the line, making the bass line more interesting.

[BassplayerBrian]

Another thought might be to hear the bass line before you play it, and then sing it how you should play, as if your on the gig and you forgot your bass[for shame if you do that! haha](credit for this little goes to Dave Speranza who is also on TB) and your band says "that's ok.. but we still need a bass player, so we want you to sing your bass lines and sing them well." You should sing your line legato, and when you can do that, you should end up playing it legato.

[TroyK]

Originally Posted by fingers

Find something you like and try to match it. It is really hard to articulate walking bass if you are not clear in your head what sound you want.

THIS is good advice. Actually, you've gotten lots of it, but don't miss this point. When you sing a pop song with the radio, you immitate the singer's accent, emphasis, etc. When you transcribe instrumental music, you should not only play the notes they play, but also you should be trying to immitate the sound (and feel) they are producing. Take some simple things and transcribe them. Try to sound like them, record yourself and listen back.

Look for blues that start with a chorus of walking up front. Blue 7 from Sax Colossus comes to mind, but there are a bunch of them. Some of the Miles Davis Quintet records with Paul Chambers have sections where Red Garland has dropped out and it's just PC and the soloist (maybe the drummer). Easy to hear and transcribe. IMMITATE. Don't just play along with the record. Try to pass your sound off as his.